Police Officer Involved Domestic Violence.
Lighting a candle of remembrance for those who've lost their lives to domestic violence behind the blue wall, for strength and wisdom to those still there, and a non-ending prayer for those who thought they had escaped but can't stop being afraid.

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Friday, July 9, 2010

A former St. Albans police officer [Ronald Chapman] who resigned in November after he misrepresented himself as a South Charleston officer while stalking his ex-girlfriend pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge on Tuesday... he reportedly shot at a neighbor's house, where his ex-wife had retreated...

PREVIOUS POST:[WV] Carla Jo's December- ...She said her husband had fired two rounds while she was standing nearby. When Ronald Chapman picked up a revolver and put it to his head, Carla Jo Chapman said she left... If he had really wanted to kill himself, he would have. Shooting through a window and into a house across the street is not attempting suicide...

SINCE THE LAST POST, NEWS FROM JANUARY 22ND & JULY 7TH:

FORMER POLICE OFFICER CHARGED IN FED COURT
The Herald-Dispatch
Curtis Johnson
January 22, 2010 @ 12:00 AM
[Excerpts] A former St. Albans, W.Va., police officer [Ronald Mark Chapman] charged with threatening to kill himself last month now stands accused possessing a firearm at a time when he was the target of a domestic violence protective order... City police charged him with three counts of felony wanton endangerment and a misdemeanor count of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The prohibition charged was elevated to federal court Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives... Chapman possessed six guns at a time when the domestic order protected his wife from harassment, threats, physical harm and other types of abuse. Guns in the arsenal were two, 12-gauge shotguns; a .410 single shotgun; a .40-caliber pistol; a .38-caliber special revolver; a .45-caliber pistol; and two cartridges of ammunition... The wife told police Chapman had made the threats, fired two gunshots in her presence and placed a revolver to his head. She then went to a neighboring residence, where she heard another gunshot sounding as if it came from her home's upstairs bedroom... [Full article here]

FORMER ST. ALBANS OFFICER PLEADS TO GUN CRIME
McClatchy
Andrew Clevenger
Jul 8, 2010.
[Excerpts] A former St. Albans police officer who resigned in November after he misrepresented himself as a South Charleston officer while stalking his ex-girlfriend pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge on Tuesday... His former girlfriend told [Ronald Mark] Chapman that their 3 1/2-year relationship was over in October 2009, and he began stalking her within days... On Oct. 16, she called police to have them remove Chapman from her home. A week later, neighbors spotted Chapman outside her new boyfriend's house in South Charleston, dressed in black and wearing a toboggan. When they asked him what he was doing, he identified himself as a South Charleston police officer and gave them a fake name... St. Albans Police Chief Joe Crawford ordered Chapman, a veteran officer, to stay away from his ex-girlfriend after Crawford learned of the incident, but on Oct. 28, Chapman's ex caught him looking in her bedroom window from a neighbor's yard. The woman then got an emergency domestic violence protective order, and Crawford put Chapman on administrative leave. On Nov. 3, after a hearing attended by Chapman and his ex, a Kanawha Family Court judge issued a final domestic violence protective order, which barred him from possessing any guns. The order stated that Chapman represented a "credible threat" to his ex-girlfriend. On the following day, Crawford gave him the choice of resigning or being fired, and Chapman chose to resign... Milton police went to serve a court order issued by a Kanawha County Magistrate to remove all guns and ammunition from his ex-wife's house on Nov. 6. She told them that there were no guns in her home, but four days later, her father brought all of Chapman's guns back to the house, according to Lawler. On Dec. 28, Chapman was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment after he reportedly shot at a neighbor's house, where his ex-wife had retreated following an argument during which Chapman put a gun to his head and threatened to kill himself... After they arrested Chapman, police found six guns and more than 900 rounds of ammunition in the house... Chapman faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced by [U.S. District Judge Robert C.] Chambers on Oct. 4... [Full article here][police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety lethal west virginia repeat hx weapons state]

Pending is the defendant's Appeal of and De Novo Review of the Magistrate's Ruling of the Detention Order (Doc. # 19). Following its de novo review of the detention order issued on January 27, 2010, the Court FINDS that no condition or combination of conditions which the Court could establish will reasonably assure the safety of other persons and the community. Consequently, the Order is AFFIRMED. See 18 U.S.C. § 3142(e)... The defendant is a 15-year veteran of the St. Albans, West Virginia, police department, charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition while subject to a Domestic Violence Protective Order ("DVPO"), in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8). ... The Court further finds that the defendant's detention is appropriate because, based on the testimony presented at the defendant's detention hearing on January 25, 2010, viewed in light of the pretrial services report and addendum provided by the U.S. Probation Office and the defendant's medical records from the Hospital, the Court FINDS there is no condition or combination of conditions of release that would reasonably assure the safety of other persons of the community... Taken together, the aforementioned facts demonstrate: (1) that the defendant poses a danger to other persons and to the community, including, at a minimum, a threat to himself, his ex-wife and his ex-girlfriend; and (2) that, because he has a history of not following court orders or other conditions placed upon him, there is no condition or set of conditions that would reasonably assure the safety of other persons or of the community.[ 2 ] As a result, the defendant's appeal is DENIED and he is ORDERED detained pending trial...

Date 06/14/2010IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FORTHE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF WEST VIRGINIAHUNTINGTON DIVISIONUNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CRIMINAL ACTION NO. 3:10-00034RONALD MARK CHAPMANMEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER